


Second Chances

by StarlightGilgalad



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26591743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightGilgalad/pseuds/StarlightGilgalad
Summary: When Cedric Diggory runs into Carlise Cullen at the Quidditch World Cup, it changes his fate forever. Request from a friend's mom: what if Cedric became Edward.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Second Chances

**Part I**

_“Cedric Diggory. If you haven't hear of him, shame on your soul.” ~_ _Anonymous_

Cedric glanced around at the trees. The leaves rustled in the soft breeze and the sound of crickets could be heard. He was camping outside tonight. In this heat, the house was too hot for comfortable sleep. On nights like these Cedric could be found in the fields behind the house, staring up at the night sky.

Hands pillowed underneath his head, Cedric took in a deep breath of the warm summer’s air. He smiled and closed his eyes, listening to the nightly noises. Inside the house he could hear his father’s snores and if he listened hard enough, the soft sighs of his mother’s breathing from their open window. 

School would be starting in a few weeks and before that his father had promised a chance to see the Quidditch World Cup. He smiled, still wide awake. Tomorrow marked the big event and he couldn’t bring himself to go to sleep. Eventually his eyes began to droop and he slowly nodded off. Little did he know it would be his last chance to dream.

The next morning Cedric awoke to his father calling his name. “I’m outside dad!” he yelled. “What time is it?” The night had cooled down and the grass- and Cedric- were covered in dew. 

“There you are Ced, been out here all night?” Amos chuckled, tightening the straps of pack

Cedric nodded and motioned to his own pack. “I’m ready to go dad. What time is it?” he repeated.

“About two am. Come on, we’ll eat once we get there.”

Cedric nodded and they hurried off the catch the portkey to the game. It was a long hike and as they drew near the area Amos said, “I’ll look over here, you look over there Cedric. Oh look it’s the Weasleys.” Cedric nodded and went to look on his respective area. He scanned the ground for anything out of place in search of their portkey.

He was just going to turn and head back when he heard a shout from his father. “Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we’ve got it.”

Cedric grinned and ran to his father who was holding the portkey, an old boot, in his hand. He watched as the Weasleys, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger came up the hill to meet them.

“Amos!” said Mr. Weasley, smiling as he strode over to them with the rest following. The two men shook hands as Mr. Weasley made the introductions. “This is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?”

“Hi,” Cedric said, looking around at them all. Everyone said hi back except for Fred and George, who merely nodded. Cedric guessed they had never quite forgiven him for beating their team in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. Maybe they'd have better luck this year, though for the sake of his house, he hoped not. Either way, he was looking forward playing again one last year before he graduated.

“Long walk, Arthur?” Cedric’s father asked.

“Not too bad,” said Mr. Weasley. “We live just on the other side of the village there. You?”

“Had to get up at two, didn’t we, Ced? I tell you, I’ll be glad when he’s got his Apparition test. Still… not complaining… Quidditch World Cup, wouldn’t miss it for a sackful of Galleons- and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy... “ Amos peered good-naturedly around the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. “All these yours, Arthur?”

"Oh no, only the redheads," said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, friend of Ron's - and Harry, another friend -"

"Merlin's beard," said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Er - yeah," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will.... You beat Harry Potter!"

The twins scowled and Cedric cast his gaze down slightly embarrassed. "Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. “I told you ... it was an accident...."

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back, who winced. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman ... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

"Must be nearly time," said Mr. Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," said Mr. Diggory. "There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?"

"Not that I know of," said Mr. Weasley. "Yes, it's a minute off ... We'd better get ready...." He looked around at Harry and Hermione. "You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -"

With difficulty, owing to their bulky backpacks, the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory. Cedric grabbed a firm hold of the heel and they all stood there a bit awkwardly in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop.

"Three. . ." muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye still on his watch, “two. . . one. . ."

It happened immediately. Cedric felt the familiar feeling as his feet left the ground. The group sped forward in a howl of wind and swirling color. He bent his knees and braced for impact, thankfully managing to keep his footing. It was always harder the more people there were. Only he, his father, and Mr. Weasley were still standing, looking a bit windswept. Everyone else was unfortunately on the ground.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.

They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill. Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho. The galoshes were understandable considering the weather, but while Cedric was no expert on muddle fashion, he was sure they weren't usually thigh high. Glancing at Potter and Granger, his suspicions were resoundingly confirmed by their appalled expressions. They were probably wondering where the man had even got such a pair.

"Morning, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it dismissively into a large box of used Portkeys beside him.

"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's alright for some.... We've been here all night.... You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite.... Weasley ... Weasley...." He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory ... second field ... ask for Mr. Payne."

"Thanks, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him.

They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. Cedric studied his school mates as they all trudged along. They all seemed excited, the Weasley's especially. Despite the early hour, chatter about the two teams who'd be playing was quietly exchanged between them and he listened with half an ear as he walked, his lack of sleep finally making itself known. After about twenty minutes of steady- if sleepy- walking, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. 

Beyond it, Cedric could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of what would have been brightly colored tents once the sun rose, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark forest on the horizon. He and his father said goodbye to the Weasleys and they parted ways. Cedric was so exhausted he didn’t even notice they'd found their campsite until his father was asking him to help set up the tent. As soon as everything was ready, he quite literally fell into bed and was annoyed to find he'd bruised his shin on the bed frame once he'd woken up.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of excitement and by the time the game was over, Cedric couldn’t believe he had gotten to see it. Out of any of the games his father had taken him to over the years, this was truly the most talented showcasing of the sport he'd yet to see. The teams had put on a spectacular show and it was one of the most exciting and near games he’d ever witnessed. “Dad? Can I still stay the week with the boys? I’m sure we’ll all want to go over the match and start planning for this year’s games.”

“Of course, Ced. I haven’t forgotten.” He followed his father back to their tent and was just drifting off when they heard the commotion. It sounded like a mob had formed and though the game had been close, he didn't think there was any cause to fight about it.

Amos stuck his head out of the entrance and looked around. “Stay here, Cedric.” He left the tent. Now fully awake, Cedric listened to the sounds getting alarmingly closer. Flashes of light and screams filled the air and someone almost stumbled into their tent. He decided it was safer to leave the tent and retreated into the woods behind it. Cautiously peering out from behind a tree, he waited.

  
  


**Part II**

Carlisle Cullen had decided to take his family on a trip to Europe, mostly so Alice would have a chance to go shopping but also for sentimental reasons. He and Esme had gone out for some alone time to explore the forests of his home country with the promise to meet up with the others in a few weeks. He and Esme had rented a room in some rinky dinky town to keep their stuff and had gone hunting. Esme had told him later that day that she wanted to plan something special and not to come back until tomorrow evening. He had complied and now found himself in a strange position.

He’d heard of wizards of course and had in fact seen a few, but never so many at once nor all in the same place. He had taken a risk by joining the crowds milling around and found himself watching the strangest game he’d ever seen. Wondering if he could get his hands on some of those brooms they were flying around on, Carlisle watched in fascination as each team scored points. He noticed a small golden ball with wings flying around the field and listened in to the conversations around him to determine what its significance was.

The Snitch, he learned, was the game ender if caught and gained the catcher’s team 100 points. The other balls were the quaffle, and bludgers- scoring and hazardous obstacle respectively. He found himself enjoying the game immensely and decided that he would introduce it to his family. His phone buzzed with a text from Alice saying she saw them having tons of fun playing the game. _Quidditch_ , he reminded himself.

After the game was over he made his way into the woods to do a little more hunting, preferably away from any human or magical populations. Something made him pause however, and he turned back frowning. He was no Alice, but felt something was going to happen. So he stuck to the trees, eventually finding a good one to perch in. From his vantage point he watched what happened next with a growing sense of dread.

A young boy who couldn't be more than eighteen entered the woods to escape the commotion in the campgrounds. Obviously the boy didn’t notice he was being followed and stopped to catch his breath, leaning behind one for the trees. His pursuer, a tall figure dressed in a black cloak and wearing a nondescript white mask raised a stick. The spell hit the boy in the shoulder, spinning him around until he lost his footing and fell to the ground. The sweet smell of human blood wafted over to him and Carlisle’s eyes widened. He jumped down from his branch and landed between the hooded figure and the boy. 

But not before another spell was aimed at the boy. It struck him full in the back and the smell of blood was amplified. Carlisle quickly dispatched the would be murderer, leaving him unconscious on the ground for the authorities to find, and ran to the injured boy. His shirt was slashed in multiple places and he was bleeding profusely. His breathing was starting to come in short gasps and his eyes were clenched shut.

Assessing the damage, Carlisle frowned. There was no way the boy could survive an injury of that degree. He only had a few minutes left before he’d be gone. Carlisle had to make a decision. Unsure as to what kinds of medical care the wizards had and if they could even give him care in time, he could only think of two plausible options. He could let the boy die, or change him. 

Something about the boy made up his mind. He shook his head and gave a quick prayer before leaning in whispering, “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I can save you- but it’s going to hurt. You only have ten seconds to decide-”

The boy slowly nodded his head, and Carlisle wasted no more time. He gently moved the boy’s hair aside and bit into his vulnerable flesh. The boy groaned and Carlisle carefully scooped him up and set off at a run back to his room. He was sure Esme wouldn’t mind if he spoiled the surprise considering the circumstances. No doubt the rest of the family would be getting a call from Alice and arrive at the room sometime tomorrow.

He shot a quick text to his wife telling her there’d been a change of plans and to meet him at the edge of the forest to decide what to do. In under an hour, a top speed, Carlisle saw Esme come into view. He slowed to a stop and gently laid the boy down. Esme wasted no time in asked what had happened and Carlisle readily answered. Once the truth was out, she ran back to their room to collect the necessary supplies while Carlisle relocated the boy farther back into the woods before the screaming would start. Luckily he’d been silent the whole way there and hadn’t moved a muscle.

Esme cleaned him up the best she could and together they waited. The next day dawned bright and early and still the boy hadn’t made a sound. He looked for all intents and purposes to be sleeping and only the quickening of his heartbeat and his changing features indicated anything was happening. With the arrival of evening came the rest of the family. They crowded around the boy as Carlisle retold the story adding, “I’m not sure what it was, but I felt he has a lot more to live for.”

Rosalie eyed him skeptically, “You can’t save everyone Carlisle.”

“I know, but-” he was suddenly interrupted by a gasp from Alice.

“What is it?” Jasper asked.

“He’s going to wake up soon.”

“But he’s only been under for a day.” Carlisle said.

“Maybe it has to do with him being magical? I don’t know. All I know is that he’s going to wake up sometime tonight. Oh,” she added. “And his eyes will be green.”

“What?” Came the unanimous reply.

“Green?” asked Emmett. “But-”

“How?” Esme’s brows drew together.

“Magic?” Alice shrugged. “All I see is his eyes being green and later turning gold like ours. That’s it.”

“Strange. It must be an effect of the magic,” Carlisle mused. “Has anyone heard of a wizard being turned before? And should we move him further away from town?”

“No, I think he’ll be fine,” Alice shook her head. “Just watch.”

And within the next few hours, the boy did indeed wakeup. His hair had gained a bronzy shade to it and his eyes were a brilliant emerald green as opposed to the normal newborn red. He frown, disoriented. Carlisle signaled for the other to move back and allow him some space just incase he decided to attack.

“Hello,” Carlisle smiled gently, hands held reassuringly infront of him.

The boy blinked, his eyes widening. “Hello.” 

**Part III**

Cedric was on fire; unable to move, and unable to cry out. Eventually the sensation passed to be replaced with a comforting coldness that seeped into him. After a while he couldn’t even tell if he _was_ cold. He could hear a lot of voices all talking at once and it was giving him a headache. He opened his eyes and blinked, staring wide eyed at his surrounding. Everything was crystal clear and the colors were brighter and more vivid than he remembered. Looking around he saw a man with blonde hair and golden eyes watching him. “Hello,” the man softly greeted with a soothing voice.

“Hello...” Cedric replied, and his eyes grew wider. His voice was perfect! And he now realized that his hearing had been enhanced too. _Easy now_ , said a voice. It sounded like the blonde man’s but his lips hadn’t moved. _I wonder if he’s thirsty right now._

“No.” Cedric replied. “I’m not.”

“Not what?” The man asked.

“Thirsty. You said you wondered if I was thirsty.”

A chorus of other voices joined in, and Cedric put his hands to his head. “No, be quiet!”

“No one is talking.” _Is he alright?_

“Yes I'm fine! A lot of people are talking and I’m fine.” Cedric growled slightly, then blinked. Since when had he started growling?

“Guys can you all back off a bit? It’s fine, I can handle him.” Carlisle asked. He and Cedric heard the hastily retreating footsteps and the voices got quieter. “I’m sorry. My name is Carlisle Cullen.”

“Cedric Diggory. What happened?”

_Here we go… I still can’t believe he isn’t thirsty yet. Maybe it has to do with his eye color?_ “I’ll explain in a second-”

“What about my eye color?” Cedric frowned.

“I didn’t say anything about your eye color…” _Can you hear me?_

“Yes. How are you doing that? Why isn’t your mouth moving?”

_I’m thinking this Cedric. I believe you can read minds._

“Read minds?!” Cedric asked confused. “But I’ve never learned Legilimency.”

“Learned what? Never mind. Let me explain…”

After several hours and a _very_ confusing explanation later, Cedric tried to sum up, “So you’re telling me that I’m a mind reading vampire with irregularly green eyes that sparkles in the sun and that I can’t go back home?”

“Pretty much. I’m sorry but if people saw you like this, plus with you technically being a newborn…” Carlisle sighed. “I’m sorry but it’s just not a good idea.” _And he’s still not thirsty?_

“No. I’m not thirsty. Doesn't that prove that you can trust me?” Cedric pleaded. “Please, my family will miss me and I’ve got to go back to school and-”

“Cedric,” Carlisle interrupted. “How about we go hunting and then you can meet the rest of my family.” _We can decide what to do then once Alice can get a clear picture._

“Alice?” Cedric asked. 

_One of my daughters._ “Come on. Let’s go hunt.”

“How?”

“Just let your instincts guide you.”

Cedric pursed his lips but nodded and the hunt began. He did very well for his first attempt according to Carlisle. He pushed his limits and ran, jumped, and knocked over trees with great enthusiasm. The blood of the deer he had caught tasted wonderful and even though he wasn’t thirsty like Carlisle described, he felt satisfied nonetheless. After that it was time to meet Carlisle’s family. 

Esme was very nice, Rosalie coolly polite, Emmett excited, Alice was just crazy-hyper, and Jasper was silent but apprising. They all seemed so different but went together perfectly. Alice, he found out, could see the future and Jasper could read and manipulate emotions. 

Alice smiled at him and suddenly got a faraway look in her eyes. Cedric experienced for the first time what one of her visions looked like. He saw himself walking down the hallways at Hogwarts, dressed in a nice suit with Cho on his arm, going to a party in the great hall. His hair was a bronzy color and his eyes were green and he was very beautiful.

“See!?” he exclaimed. “I _do_ go back to school! And everything is fine, right?”

“Yes.” Alice looked at Jasper.

“He doesn’t feel attracted to human blood at all,” Jasper said in slight awe. “We’re still close enough that the town would normally be causing problems but he isn’t even slightly thirsty!”

“Exactly!” Cedric said. “What he said! So can I go back home now?”

“You said you told your father you were spending the week at your friend's house?” Esme confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Then would you mind terribly if you stayed with us this week just to make sure everything is alright? Then you could go back home?”

“Well, after this week I’ve got to go to school.” Cedric said. “But I suppose my mates won’t be _too_ upset if I tell them I can't come. They’re probably wondering where I am by now. Do you think I could send them a quick message saying I can’t come and to cover for me?”

“Yes, would you like to call them? I’ve got a cellphone.” Carlisle offered.

“Thanks but wizards don't use cell phones,” Cedric shook his head bemused. “Don’t worry, I can send an owl.” And with this odd remark, Cedric settled into a week with the Cullens.

**Part IV**

Cedric sat down in one of the empty compartments on the Hogwarts Express and waved out the window. His family, along with the Cullens, waved back. The family of vampires were still unsure about letting him go off to school, but Alice had said it would be alright and they would be near by just in case. Cedric had told them about Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest and that they would be well supplied staying there. They could also get some rooms at the Three Broomsticks or buy a house in Hogsmeade.

Emmett still cracked up every time one of the “hilarious wizard-y names” was mentioned. All of them were very interested in wizarding society so Cedric took them to Diagon Alley and helped them set up a vault. Needless to say, the goblins weren't very happy to begin with, but once they saw how politely the Cullens treated them (and how much money they had) they were more than happy to oblige. The boys loved the Quidditch store and Esme, Jasper, and Carlisle spent a lot of time browsing through the bookstore. The rest of the day was passed exploring various shops up and down the Alley as well as a muggle shopping spree in London, courtesy of Alice.

If his parents noticed his new looks, they didn’t comment further than “You look nice,” and “since when had you been wearing glamours?” They were more concerned about the fact that he had left the World Cup without so much as an “I’ll see you later”.

The ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. Cedric sat with his mates and discussed the various rumors floating around about not having Quidditch this year. They all like his “glamours” and asked where he had got them and why. He just told them that it was a dare and he planned to wear them all year so they’d better get used to it.

When the TriWizard Tournament was announced, he and the older of his mates all decided to put their names in. When he got chosen, despite or perhaps because of his newfound abilities, he was immensely proud to represent Hogwarts. The addition of Harry however, made him question the Goblet’s sanity as well as Potter’s reasons for putting his name in.

Despite the confusion and difficulty of his newfound fame, Cedric managed to stay on top of his schoolwork and still have time to talk with the Cullens every night. And since he couldn’t sleep anymore, he had taken to relaxing with his supernatural friends during the dark hours of the night, and never had any problems sneaking out of the castle, thanks to his heightened senses, mind reading, and quick reflexes. Mrs. Norris was no match for him now. 

On the nights he didn’t spend with the Cullens, Cedric explored the castle and used his abilities to learn all of the castle's secrets: Passageways he’d never seen before, The Room of Requirement, secret stairways and towers that couldn't be seen from the outside, as well as all the tunnels leading off of school grounds. 

Occasionally he and the Cullens would take a swim in the lake and visit the merpeople. They didn’t view them as evil or even as outsiders, despite the usual coolness between them and the wizarding kind of vampires. Probably because of the bad relations Wizards kept with all magical creatures. Either way, the merfolk accepted them and they were welcome to come visit at anytime.

By the time the first task rolled around, Cedric was a nervous wreak. Dragons. And that meant fire. Vampires were very flammable. _He_ was very flammable. He prepared himself with every anti-flame protection he could think of, including a protective layer of magical water around him like a wetsuit. Of course his fears were in error and he was able to get the egg successfully and without harm to himself, although without his quick reflexes, he would’ve gotten a blast of fire to his face.

The second task was also easy. A swim through the lake to the mer-village to grab Cho. Again he won easily waving to the merfolk as he passed by. They all waved back and sniggered at his needless use of the bubblehead charm. He surfaced with Cho less than thirty minutes into the task and waited for the others to join him.

Speaking of Cho, the Yule Ball was fun and Cedric wished they could have one every year. He danced with Cho practically all night, and they were in fact one of the last few ones to leave. Over Christmas, he convinced both his parents and the Cullens to have combined celebrations and so the Diggory's found themselves at the Cullen’s house in Hogsmeade on Christmas eve. Since they were having guests Alice had gone all out and the extent to which she had decorated scared even Esme slightly, although everyone had tons of fun.

Once school started back up again Cedric started preparing himself for the final task. He was currently in the lead point wise and everyone knew it was going to be a maze. After his transformation, Cedric had found that he really enjoyed working out puzzles of any kind, including mazes. But this was a magically enchanted maze, so he assumed his maze skills would be about the same as the other contestants. Still, he looked forward to solving the last task, whether or not he won.

He was on top of his classes, his magic hadn’t suffered in the least since being turned, and he was loving life. Or non-life, it made no difference to him really. Cedric knew that if anyone found out about that he was, he’d either be killed or outcast, but at least he had the Cullens. Hopefully though, no one would find out.

As the third task approached he found himself more and more in the company of the Cullens and spending less time with his friends. They all assumed he was just under a lot of stress and left him alone mostly. It was especially hard with Cho however. He found himself casting warming charms on his hands and face, so as not to give himself away, every time she was in his general vicinity. He liked Cho and didn’t want to break up with her, but relationships were hard, especially considering that he was keeping secrets and you shouldn’t do that in a relationship.

The day of the third and final task finally arrived. Cedric couldn’t wait to solve the maze. The stands had begun to fill; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professors Moody, McGonagall, and Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said McGonagall to the champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

The champions nodded.

"Off you go, then!" said Bagman brightly to the patrollers and the four of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now pointed his wand at his throat, muttered "Sonorus," and his magically magnified voice echoed into the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

“So ... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.

The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze. Harry pulled out his wand, and muttered, "Lumos.” Cedric did the same just behind him.

After about fifty yards, the boys reached a fork and looked at each other.

"See you," Harry said, and he took the left one, while Cedric took the right.

Now Cedric felt exhilarated. This maze was definitely one of the creepiest mazes he had navigated so far, and that was including all the horror games Emmett and Jasper liked to play. He turned left and continued straight for a while then turn right. That was a mistake. He walked headfirst into one of Hagrid’s huge Blast-Ended Skrewts. It was the Blast End he had the misfortune of walking into. He dove to the side narrowly avoiding getting his head burnt off. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giant scorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. The giant monster started coming after him blasting along the way. Cedric turned tail and ran, breathing hard out of fear rather than lack of air. He let out a quick Stupify behind him and rushed into another intersection and ran into Harry who was pointing the beam of light from his wand at him. Cedric could only guess at how shaken he looked. He noticed the sleeve of his robe was smoking and frantically put it out. 

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!" he hissed. "They're enormous - I only just got away!"

He shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path. Left, right, straight, left, left, straight, dead end, backtrack, right, straight, left, right. It was easy to keep up with all the confusing turns thanks to his new and improved brain, but in his concentration he didn’t hear the attacker coming up behind him. At a rustle of the walls he turns and looked behind himself. Krum was advancing with his wand pointed at Cedric. He shot a spell that narrowly missed Cedric’s head.

"What are you doing?" yelled Cedric frantically. They weren't supposed to attack each other so far he knew. And the spells Krum was throwing at him certainly weren't simple stunners. Any thoughts he was picking up from the boy were muddled and seemed to be covered in a layer of foul magic. "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"

Then Krum yelled out "Crucio!" and Cedric was too astonished to even try to jump out of the way. The air was suddenly full of Cedric's screams. The pain was unbearable and Cedric sank to the ground twitching violently. He could vaguely hear Harry’s thoughts as the other boy struggled to rescue him, but the pain was so intense he didn’t care. It was _worse_ than his transformation and he had thought nothing could top that.

Harry broke through the wall, pulled himself up, and pointed his wand at Krum just as he looked up. Krum turned and began to run.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled.

The spell hit Krum in the back; he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, facedown in the grass. Harry dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying on his back panting, his hands over his face.

”Are you alright?" Harry said roughly, grabbing Cedric's arm.

"Yeah," panted Cedric in a daze. "Yeah ... I don't believe it... he crept up behind me... I should have heard him! But I turned around, and he just had his wand on me... and-"

Cedric took a steadying breath and got up. He was still shaking as he and Harry looked down at Krum.

"I can't believe this ... I thought he was all right," Harry said, staring at Krum.

"So did I," said Cedric, his brows drawing together.

"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?" Harry asked, mouth set in a hard line.

"Yeah," said Cedric grimaced. "You don't think Krum got her too?"

"I don't know," said Harry slowly.

"Should we leave him here?" Cedric muttered.

"No," Harry decided. "I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone'll come and collect him . . . otherwise he'll probably be eaten by a skrewt."

"He'd deserve it," Cedric muttered half heartedly, but all the same, he raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.

Harry and Cedric stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them. Then Cedric said, "Well... I s'pose we'd better go on..."

"What?" said Harry. "Oh... yeah... right..." It was an odd moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum - now the fact that they were opponents came back to Harry. The two of them proceeded up the dark path without speaking, then Harry turned left, and Cedric right. Harry's footsteps soon died away. He turned a few more corners and came face to face with a burning fire demon. “Danm! Aguamenti!” he blasted the spell with as much power as he could. The demon was pushed back from the force but didn’t go out. “Damn damn!” Cedric then tried a flame freezing spell but that only slowed it down. It flickered, as if it was an illusion, then Cedric had it! “Riddikulus!" The boggart flames went out and it sputtered pathetically, like pouring water on the embers.

He chuckled weakly and pushed on. Turning another corner he saw it, the Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a pedestal a hundred yards away. Suddenly a dark figure hurtled out onto the path behind him.

It was Harry, but Cedric was going to get there first. He was sprinting as fast as he could (at human speed) toward the cup, and Cedric knew Harry would never catch up; he was much taller, had much longer legs, not to mention his supernatural advantages- which he wasn't going to use in the name of fairness. Then Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast Cedric was about to run into it, and Cedric, his eyes on the cup, hadn’t seen it. "Cedric!" Harry bellowed. "On your left!"

Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste and with the wet grass, he tripped. Cedric's wand flew out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled; the spell hit the spider's gigantic, hairy black body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!" Cedric heard Harry frantically calling out spells. But it was no use - the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spells were doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon him.

He was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, he tried to kick it; his leg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in excruciating pain. Cedric saw Harry’s face contort with pain as well as gleaning the pain from the younger boy’s thoughts, and was yelling "Stupefy!" too, but his spell had no more effect than Harry's. Harry raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more and shouted "Expelliarmus!"

It worked! The Disarming Spell made the spider drop Harry, but that meant that he fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg, which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, Harry aimed high at the spider's underbelly and shouted "Stupefy!'' just as Cedric yelled the same thing.

The two spells combined did what one alone had not: The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and littering the path with a tangle of hairy legs.

"Harry!" Cedric shouted. "You alright? Did it fall on you?"

"No," Harry called back, panting. Through the boy’s mind, Cedric could see the extent of Harry injury. The younger boy looked down at his leg. It was bleeding freely. He could see some sort of thick, gluey secretion from the spider's pincers on his torn robes. Harry tried to get up, but his leg was shaking badly and did not want to support his weight. He leaned against the hedge, gasping for breath, and looked around.

Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behind him.

"Take it, then," Harry panted to Cedric. "Go on, take it. You're there."

But Cedric didn't move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turned to stare at the cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light.

Cedric looked around at Harry again, who was now holding onto the hedge to support himself. Cedric took a deep breath.

"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."

"That's not how it's supposed to work," Harry said. He felt angry; his leg was very painful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off the spider, and after all his efforts, Cedric had beaten him to it, just as he'd beaten Harry to ask Cho to the ball. "The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."

Cedric took a few paces nearer to the Stunned spider, away from the cup, shaking his head. "No.”

"Stop being noble," said Harry irritably. "Just take it, then we can get out of here."

Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to the hedge.

"You told me about the dragons," Cedric said. "I would've gone down in the first task if you hadn't told me what was coming." He would have too, fire was no joke to him.

"I had help on that too," Harry snapped, trying to mop up his bloody leg with his robes. "You helped me with the egg - we're square."

"I had help on the egg in the first place," said Cedric.

"We're still square," said Harry, testing his leg gingerly; it shook violently as he put weight on it; he had sprained his ankle when the spider had dropped him.

"You should've got more points on the second task," said Cedric mulishly. "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should've done that."

"I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously!" Harry replied bitterly. "Just take the cup!"

"No," said Cedric.

He stepped over the spider's tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedric was serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn't had in centuries but either way it was still a win for the school.

"Go on," Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing him every ounce of resolution he had, but his face was set, his arms folded, he was decided.

Harry looked from Cedric to the cup. In Harry's mind Cedric saw that for one shining moment, the boy saw himself emerging from the maze, holding it. He saw himself holding the Cup aloft, heard the roar of the crowd, saw Cho's face shining with admiration, more clearly than he had ever seen it before . . . and then the picture faded.

And with that thought from Harry, Cedric almost turned to take the cup then and there, but… 

"Both of us," Harry said.

"What?"

"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."

Cedric stared at Harry. He unfolded his arms. "You - you sure?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah . . . we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."

For a moment, Cedric thought he couldn't believe his ears; then his face split in a grin. "You're on! Come here."

He grabbed Harry’s arm below the shoulder and helped Harry limp toward the pedestal where the cup stood, taking most of his weight with ease. Once they had reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles.

"On three, right?" said Harry. "One - two - three -"

He and Cedric both grasped a handle.

Instantly, Cedric felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground and the unexpected feeling of portkey travel made him dizzy. He couldn't unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling him onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Harry at his side. Whatever was coming was come didn't seem to be part of the task. No one had mentioned the cup being a portkey and Cedric would have heard someone thinking about it if it was supposed to be a surprise.

**Part V**

Cedric felt his feet slam into the ground; his hand let go of the Cup at last. He raised his head and glanced about, enhanced eyes picking out stone grave stones and shadowed statues.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

Cedric just shook his head and got up, pulling Harry to his feet as they looked around. They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles -perhaps hundreds of miles - for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone. The air was warmer and Cedric guessed they must have got south. Certainly they weren't in Scotland anymore. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Cedric could just make out the outline of a fancy old mansion on the hillside.

He looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry. "Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?" he pursed his lips, listening for the thoughts of anyone nearby. He picked up two separate minds, one filled with trepidation and chronic fear- the other sharp calculating thoughts that seemed to be muted rather than farther away. Cedric guessed that this person was well versed with the mind arts, though no where _near_ as skilled at occluding as their potions professor. He'd taken great interest in navigating Professor Snape's mind and was rather surprised to find that neither he nor the Headmaster could detect his presence.

"Nope," said Harry. He was scrutinizing the graveyard. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I dunno," said Cedric slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"

"Yeah," said Harry. As they pulled out their wands, Cedric and Harry both kept a wary eye out for whatever threat was inevitably about to appear. 

"Someone's coming," Cedric said suddenly as the two lurking presences approached.

Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched a figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Cedric couldn't make out a face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something- the other person he suddenly realized. Though was that person actually was, he had no clue.

Whoever the first person was, they were short and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face. And - several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time - Cedric saw that the thing in the person's arms looked like a baby ... or was it merely a bundle of robes? No baby had complex thoughts like those, however muted. Beside him Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced questioningly sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look in return though his own wand never lowered a bit. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure.

It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second, Harry, Cedric, and the short figure simply looked at one another. And then, without warning, Cedric felt Harry's scar explode with pain. To the Boy Who Lived it was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open. Cedric reached for him as he collapsed trying to block out the extra input as a high, cold voice- the mystery mind- said, "Kill the spare."

A swishing noise quickly followed and a second voice- the cloaked figure- screeched "Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light shot straight at Cedric, and he was knocked back, falling to the ground beside Harry. The pain in the poor boy's scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished. Terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him… dead.

For a second that contained an eternity, Harry stared into Cedric's face, at his open green eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, at his half-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, before Harry's mind had accepted what he was seeing, before he could feel anything but numb disbelief, he felt himself being pulled to his feet. Right before his gaze slipped away from that blank expression Harry almost could have sworn he saw those lips twitch. Must be a trick of the mind.

Cedric watched all this through Harry’s mind, seeing his “dead” face through another’s eyes. I was horrible for Harry, Cedric knew, but he could barely keep himself from laughing. It was imperative that no one find out what he was, so for now, he’d have to play dead and just observe. He thanked his lucky stars that he was already technically dead and watched as the terrible ritual to bring back the Dark Lord played out.

What emerged from the cauldron was terrifyingly disgusting. If Cedric had been able to throw up he probably would have been spilling his insides out right now. When the dual came, and the dome of light appeared, he left an odd sensation as if he were being lifted up out of his body. He joined the ranks to the ghostly figures inside the dome, one of the first to appear. Well _this_ was certainly interesting. He caught Harry’s eye and winked, a wide grin on his face that was probably out of place all things considered. “Hold on Harry.”

He watched as the other figures joined him, all giving words of encouragement to Harry. He tuned them out, glancing the newly risen Voldemort and managing to actually catch the dark lord's gaze. He decisively stuck out his tongue at him, actually managing to make the other blink and loose slightly more ground to the glowing orbs advancing towards his wand. Cedric smirked as he turned back to Harry. The other spirits? shades? must have all said their piece as Harry's attention had turned back to him. "Harry..." Cedric whispered dramatically, valiantly fighting to keep his laughter in check. It wasn't funny. It really wasn't. "Take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents.”

"I will," said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand. Cedric was lifted from the dome and back into his body as soon as Harry broke the connection, finally loosing his battle against his amusement. He really should be worried for Harry but for some reason he knew the boy could handle himself. He became aware again when Voldemort started yelling.

"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" shrieked Voldemort. Harry's hand had closed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach -Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. Cedric saw his mouth curl into a smile, saw the imposing figure slowly raise his wand.

"Accio!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into the air and soared towards them. Harry caught it by the handle -He heard Voldemort’s scream of fury at the same moment that he felt the jerk behind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked- speeding the two away in a whirl of wind and color back to Hogwarts. Whoever had charmed the portkey had been so thoughtful as to spell a return trip on it. Meant for who, Cedric had no idea, but he wryly thanked them anyway.

**Part VI**

They had come back to the edge of the maze. Cedric could see the stands rising above him, the shapes of people moving in them, the stars above, and reminded himself not to move.

Harry let go of the cup, but he clutched Cedric to him even more tightly. "He's back," Cedric heard Harry whisper. "He's back. Voldemort."

"What's going on? What's happened?" The face of Cornelius Fudge appeared upside down over Cedric; it looked white, appalled. "My God - Diggory!" it whispered. "Dumbledore - he's dead!"

The words were repeated, the shadowy figures pressing in on them gasped it to those around them, and then others shouted it - screeched it - into the night - "He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

"Harry, let go of him," he heard Fudge's voice say, and Cedric felt fingers trying to pry Harry from his limp body, but Harry wouldn't let him go. Then Dumbledore's face came closer.

"Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go."

"He wanted me to bring him back," Harry muttered - apparently it seemed important to explain this, and Cedric supposed shock did tend to change people's priorities. "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents..."

"That's right. Harry... just let go now..."

Voices were scrambled in Cedric’s head, the voices of thoughts mixed with spoken voices all giving him a headache. But he couldn't let himself move. He was supposed to be dead. "What's happened?" "What's wrong with him?" "Diggory’s dead!"

"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge was saying loudly. "He's ill, he's injured - Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands..."

"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him -"

"No, I would prefer-"

"Dumbledore, Amos Diggory’s running... he's coming over... Don't you think you should tell him - before he sees - ?"

Someone dragged Harry away and Cedric saw his father’s face come into view. He carefully kept his gaze blank, even though it pained him to do so. The Cullen’s had warned him that since he didn’t age, they’d eventually have to fake his death. So he figured it’d just be better to do it now instead of exposing what he really was and still having to leave his parents anyway.

“No! Cedric! Son! Dead! No!” His father’s cries would have induced tears in his eyes if he were capable of them. “Ced… No! Who killed him?” His grief turned to anger. “WHO KILLED MY SON?”

It was all Cedric could do to keep still. He eventually tuned everything out and didn’t realize that he was being levitated somewhere. When he finally came back to reality, he was in a coffin laid out for a funeral. As people came up to the stage to pay their respects, he heard Carlisle’s voice in his head. _Don’t worry Cedric, we’ll dig you up tonight when no one’s around._

He suppressed a snort at that comment and tuned out again, only coming to when he felt the coffin being lifted. The cover came off and he saw Emmett’s face grinning down at him. “Never thought we end up as grave robbers, eh Jasper? Come on, up you go, little bro.”

Cedric blinked. “What'd I miss?”

“You died, got a funeral, got buried and then got dug up again,” Emmett laughed clapping him on the back as he sat up. “What you zoned out or something? I gave the best speech! Don’t tell me you missed it!”

“Sorry Emmett, I wasn’t in touch with reality for a while,” Cedric shrugged. “I’d rather not talk about.”

“Right, sorry, sore subject.” Emmett backed off. They drove home in silence. Cedric watched the stars and tried to block out everyone's thoughts. Maybe learning Occlumency would help. Right now he just wanted to swim to the bottom of the lake and sit and not think about anything. In a way, it wasn’t he who had died. From his point of view, he was the one still alive while his parents, his friends, his life had died.

“Can I see them again?” he whispered. “Just to make sure they’re alright?”

“Yes, just don’t let them see you,” Carlisle murmured. “You and I can go tomorrow.”

“Can I leave a note or something?”

Carlisle hesitated. “Perhaps…” he said cautiously. “But no promises.”

“Thank you.” Cedric gazed back out the window.

The next day dawned on Cedric and Carlisle standing outside in Cedric’s backyard. Both his parents were still sleeping and he had just convinced Carlisle to let him go in and leave a note.

Unlocking the backdoor with the key under the mat, Cedric silently walked to the dining room. He grabbed the note paper sitting on the kitchen counter and scrawled a quick note:

**Mum, Dad, I love you. I’m sorry I had to go but I'm okay. I’m happy. I got a second chance. I’ve got a new family and I’ll see you again some day. Don’t be sad, cause I’ll probably be stalking you and can see if you cry. So don’t cry… too much. I promise that things are going to get better. The Cullens will look out for you.**

**Love, Your Son,**

**Cedric Diggory**

He placed the note onto the dining table underneath his first snitch, which was deactivated, and added a quick PS.

**\- I want you to have this. I’ve left it deactivated so it won’t fly away, seeing as you’re both rubbish at catching it. Love you- gotta go.**

He heard the sounds of this parents waking up and bolted for the backdoor. By the time they were awake and downstairs, he and Carlisle were long gone. “So where are we going now?” Cedric asked.

“Forks, Washington State. We’ve got a house up there and it’s hardly ever sunny.”

“America… I assume we’ll all be going to high school there?”

“Yeah. You have a lot of catching up to do, Wizard boy. So…” Carlisle started. “Have you picked out a new name yet?”

“Yeah,” Cedric smiled shyly. “I did. How’s Edward Cullen sound?” 

“Sounds great.”

**FIN**


End file.
